Daytona 500 Champ Jamie McMurray Gets His Time in Spotlight

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- As Jamie McMurray sat behind the microphone in his Daytona 500 victory press conference, hands clinched around his face, head bowed, tears rolling down his eyes, too emotional to speak -- the enormity of his accomplishment set in. For him and for us.

The hundred or so journalists typing away on deadline suddenly became quiet, almost reverently watching McMurray in the several minutes it took for him to regain his composure and continue taking questions.

He was so honestly and deeply wrapped up in the moment. His moment.

It was a nice reminder of what it means to feel such genuine happiness. And for the 33-year old Missouri native McMurray, there was also a bit of relief and a healthy dose of redemption.

"To be honest, I was thinking, 'you need to stop crying and answer the questions ... but you know, the harder you try, the worse it gets,'' McMurray explained Tuesday with a laugh.

Then he added earnestly, "No driver is going to prepare himself for how he's going to feel when he wins America's biggest stock car race. You get out in Victory Lane and they stick the microphone in your face and they ask you the question.

"I just had a million things running through my head at once. ... I just broke down. It's real. It's actually happening.''

The gentleman sitting next to him Sunday night wasn't crying. But you can bet Earnhardt Ganassi team co-owner Chip Ganassi was feeling all the happiness, relief and redemption that McMurray was experiencing. And on a whole other level.

For the past decade, Ganassi's other racing teams, including a sportscar team in the Rolex Grand Am Series and a two-car Target Ganassi effort in the IZOD IndyCar Series have been top dogs -- the Hendrick Motorsports of their disciplines.

He's won the "big ones" -- a historic three straight Rolex 24 at Daytona sports car races (2006-2008) as well as the 2000 and 2008 Indianapolis 500s. And he's won multiple season championships in both Grand Am (three) and IndyCar (seven).

But while those teams were collecting trophy after trophy after trophy, it's been almost three years (June, 2007 at Sears Point, Cal.) since Ganassi went to Victory Lane in a Sprint Cup race.

And the straight-shooting Ganassi was growing tired of getting "that" question, "But what about your NASCAR program?''

"That was a question Chip got asked a lot and last year it quieted down,'' said Dario Franchitti, who ran an abbreviated NASCAR schedule for Ganassi in 2008 then returned to the Target Ganassi Indy/Car team to claim last year's series championship.

"It's absolutely huge,'' Franchitti said of McMurray's win.

"For the Sprint Cup team, it's a massive turnaround. To go from the lows of 2008 -- the bad performance and having to lay off all those people -- to having Jamie win the Daytona 500 and JPM (Montoya) putting a car in the Chase last year.

"Chip likes to say it's a results business.

"And,'' he added with a laugh, "this certainly puts the pressure on the IndyCar team now.''

McMurray, whose No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy held off NASCAR favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. in double overtime Sunday, knows a little about pressure as well.

After winning in only his second career start, he was 0-fer the next three seasons with Ganassi. The two parted ways amiably and McMurray moved to the Cup champion Roush Fenway Racing organization. He won at Talladega in 2007, but by the time he won again -- at Daytona last July -- his future with Roush was finite. And he and Ganassi had already spoken about reuniting.

"Seems to me that didn't hurt him any, winning that race in July,'' Ganassi said with a smile. "We were already talking at that point. Then right after that, you know, we kind of locked in and said, 'he's our guy.'

''These guys have had opportunities over the years to go and get a great big contract after they've driven for me,'' Ganassi said. "I feel honored that they want to come back and that we have the type of team they want to come back to.

"And that's the hard work of a lot of people.''

The renewed opportunity hasn't been lost on McMurray.

"I have to say I am happy to give Chip his Daytona 500 victory,'' McMurray said.

Since his emotional win Sunday, McMurray has enjoyed a media blitz in New York City -- where he had to purchase a suit and essentially get it tailored on the spot for his television appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman and Live with Regis and Kelly. He left for San Francisco and a schedule of West Coast appearances Tuesday night in advance of this weekend's race at California Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick sent him congratulatory text messages on Sunday night. His good friend, Sunday's third place finisher Greg Biffle, and his teammate Juan Pablo Montoya stopped by the victory lane celebration to shake his hand.

From three-time Daytona 500 winner Dale Jarrett, a simple text: "Hey it's DJ, welcome to the club.''

And perhaps another great sign: on a conference call with the national media on Tuesday, not one question came up about the track and the two lengthy red flag periods to repair a pothole between Turn 1 and 2.

That was as it should be. The Daytona 500 was all about McMurray and his inspired drive and his inspiring achievement.

"I really don't care about sleep right now, I'm just enjoying the moment,'' he said.